Kingston school board aims to keep high school at current location

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- The Board of Education has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping Kingston High School on Broadway in Midtown rather than building a new high school at another location, but trustees also expressed a willingness to consider alternatives to the $92 million renovation plan they had been pursuing.

With the district's architecural consultant, KSQ Architects, expected to update the renovation plan over the next five weeks, the board Wednesday night directed the Facilities Committee and Superintendent Paul Padalino "to explore all available options to enable the preservation of the Kingston High School campus at its current location."

Trustee James Shaughnessy, the lone "no" vote on the resolution proposed by board Vice President Nora Scherer, with Trustee Arthur Coston absent, last week suggested the school board consider building a new high school at another site rather than continuing to pursue the $92 million renovation plan.

Shaughnessy had cited the high school's continuing deterioration since the renovation plan was developed in 2010; Ulster County Community College's plan to establish a satellite campus at Sophie Finn Elementary School, taking away possible "swing space" for classes during construction; new security restrictions creating space problems; and the likely need for a new regional high school in the coming years.

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Shaughnessy this week said the renovation plan would address only about half of the high school's infrastructure issues, and whether the district builds a new high school or addresses everything at the current building, it will cost about $200 million "one way or the other."

"Which way are we going to get the best result for our students for the next 100 years?" Shaughnessy said.

Scherer, on the other hand, said the community is trying to build an educational corridor in Kingston, including the UCCC satellite campus at Finn, and pointed out the school district invested in a $3.73 million project to convert the formerly vacant Carnegie library building on the high school campus into an arts and technology center.

"We should help that effort to rejuvenate the heart of the city," Scherer said.

Matthew McCoy, the board president, suggested district officials look deeper into options for addressing building needs at KHS.

McCoy said he cannot think of another suitable site for Kingston High School, but Shaughnessy suggested district officials look into land owned by AVR Acquisition Corp. that is attached to the Ulster Landing development site off state Route 32 in the town of Ulster.

"The high school is falling apart, and everyone knows it," Trustee James Michael said, expressing concern that changing the focus of the project at this juncture would delay construction until "seven, eight, nine years from today."

Scherer said the latest resolution gives the administration and Facilities Committee the ability to look at more plans than the $92 million proposal.

Although the board approved the resolution in a 6-1 vote, members Robin Jacobowitz, the Rev. James Childs and Maureen Bowers said they do not want it to tie their hands if they do not like the proposals KSQ Architects develops.

Childs said if the current campus can be renovated "in such a way that we can be proud of it and it will be good for the kids," he would prefer to go that route. If not, he said, he would be interested in looking at alternatives.